You Found Me
by Verboten Byacolate
Summary: There you are. Take my hand, I've found you. [ShikaIno]


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**You Found Me**

by RainyDayInNovember

_"And I don't know exactly what's going on between you and Temari," she exclaimed, twirling the yellow daisy around with her fingers, and staring at it in a wistful way. "But..." Ino finally turned to him. "I **do** know how I feel, Shikamaru." His eyes widened as she turned to him, an unusual smile on her face, her eyes shining with unshed tears that seemed to always reside there these days._

_"You are my Shika-kun, and will always be, no matter what you decide."_

_She wiped away the invisible tears and her smile became even sadder._

_"You may not care, but I just happen to love you."_

"Na, Shikamaru!"

"_Ino_!" The raven-haired man shot up from his spot on the ground, looking around wildly. Panting, he looked up to see his ginger-headed friend looking quizzically at him over a bag of chips.

"Um... Shikamaru, I'm _Chouji._ Ino's at her parent's shop, remember? They're out of town for the week."

Shikamaru's rapid heartbeat soon returned to normal and he sighed. He'd had the dream again. _How troublesome..._

"Actually..." Shikamaru drew half of his attention back to Chouji. "I think she wanted to see you."

The newly-made Jounin lept from his spot on the ground, realized his error, and casually shoved his hands in his pockets.

"What for?"

Chouji shrugged. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and turned slightly.

"At the flower shop, you said?"

Chouji nodded and walked off. "Baka." At least, that's what Shikamaru _thought_ he heard come from the other lad. But, really, you can't always be too incredibly sure who's calling you a idiot and who isn't.

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"You know, I saw Shikamaru today..."

"Don't."

"But Ino-"

"Sakura." The blonde woman gave her friend a look. Sakura looked annoyed but nodded all the same. Music from Ino's radio played softly into the brief silence.

"I still don't know why-"

"Ino!" Both girls' heads swivvled around toward the entrance of the flower shop. "Oh... Sakura..." The object of their prior (attempted, basically one-sided) conversation sighed. "How troublesome," he muttered. Sakura looked between her two friends and smiled.

"Oh, it's okay, Shikamaru. I was just leaving."

Sakura winked at her gaping blonde friend and was out of the flower shop, her laughter tinkling after her.

They were silent. They stared at each other. They felt the slight tension in the room. They knew she'd be the first to break it.

"H-hi, Shika-kun. How are you?"

Wierd. No insult. Nothing to create a banter from. Troublesome.

"Fine. You?"

"Same."

Wonderful. They'd stooped to one-liners. It had to stop.

"I was just... Chouji told me... I thought I might..."

Ino was slightly amused. Nara Shikamaru was not one to stumble over his words. She went back to arranging a bouquet.

"What's on your mind, Shikamaru?"

Damn. Why was she able to read him so well?

"Hn."

"Oh, come on, Shika; no need to copy Sasuke-kun. I'd like to hear your pretty voice."

He blushed a little and saw a small smile on her lips. _Damn woman..._ He sighed.

"Ino, do you... well..."

_"Is this a dream? _

_If it is, please don't wake me from this high. _

_I've become comfortably numb, until you opened up my eyes."_

Ino smiled sadly, at last tying a dark blue ribbon on the bouquet.

_"To what it's like when everything's right._

_I can't believe..."_

Her lips formed the words of the song, the volume of her voice becoming higher with the chorus.

_"You found me when no one else was lookin';_

_how did you know just where I would be?"_

Ino turned, placing the floral arrangement on the shelf behind her, saving it until the buyer came.

_"Yeah, you broke through all of my confusion._

_The ups and the downs, and you still didn't leave,_

_I guess that you saw what nobody could see;_

_You found me._

_You found me."_

Shikamaru stared at the blonde girl. What was she trying to say?

_"So, here we are  
That's pretty far  
When you think of where we've been."_

She actually sang very well. For a bossy, arrogant, pig-headed, rude... absolutely beautiful person. How exactly were they put into Team 10 together, again? Destiny, as the Hyuuga Neji would put it. But the concept of destiny was so troublesome. In Shikamaru's opinion, what happened happened. But... maybe fate had a small role in their pairing. Hell, fate probably had something to do with their _meeting_, too.

_"No going back  
I'm fading out  
All that has faded me within."_

Shikamaru gazed intently at her. For once, he had his full attention directed on something. She was still turned around, and her shoulders were quivvering. Her voice wobbled a little, but he could hear the sound of upward-curved lips if he listened.

_"You're by my side  
Now everything's fine  
I can't believe..."_

Shikamaru tenitively stepped toward his previous teammate, hand outstretched. He would reach her, unlike the last times he had tried. He would reach her this time... He would get her.

"_You found me when no one else was lookin';_

_how did you know just where I would be?_

_Yeah, you broke through all of my confusion._

_The ups and the downs, and you still didn't leave,_

_I guess that you saw what nobody could see;_

_You found me._

_You found me."_

He was so close...

But then, he faltered.

_"And I was hiding  
'Til you came along  
And showed me where I belong."_

She was crying. He could her her voice, wavering more than it had mere seconds ago. Her body shook slightly, and she pressed a hand over her eyes.

Oh Kami. Crying women were more troublesome than dry ones.

_"You found me  
When no one else was lookin'  
How did you know?  
How did you know?"_

"Ino..."

That's all it took. The woman turned quickly, and landed in his arms. As she cried, the music kept playing, and the lyrics mixed with her babbling.

"Shika-kun, I'm sorry I've been avoiding you!

_-You found me  
When no one else was lookin'-_

I've been so stupid!

_-How did you know just where I would be?-  
_

I just didn't want to care anymore, Shika, I didn't! Not... not after...

_-Yeah, you broke through  
All of my confusion-  
_

After Asuma-sensei died, I... I couldn't bear to love someone so much! What could happen to them? What _would_ happen to them?

_-The ups and the downs,  
And you still didn't leave-  
_

It wasn't just you, I promise! I avoided my family... Chouji... everyone! Sakura, of course, refused to be ignored...

_-I guess that you saw what nobody could see-  
_

Oh, I'm a coward, Shikamaru, I am, I am! Don't deny it, I know it's true.

-_You found me-_

And I had told you, oh, I had told you, and I hadn't meant to, I hadn't meant to be so weak, but I couldn't help it!

_-(You found me)  
(When no one else was lookin')  
You found me  
(How did you know just where I would be?)-_

I love you, Shika. My word still stands, and always will. I'm sorry I wasn't always there for you. I should have been.

_-You broke through all of my confusion-_

I missed you."

All the while, Shikamaru had been holding his charge, listening quietly to all of her ramblings, and she finally seemed like she was pulling herself together. She didn't protest to his embrace, though, so he found no reason to break it.

"I missed you too, Ino."

_"The ups and the downs and you still didn't leave"_

"I _am_ sorry," she insisted, as if trying to convince him that it was true. He smiled a little.

"I know."

"Are you... you're not mad?"

He brought her tighter to him.

"Of course not."

_"I guess that you saw what nobody could see"_

"Good." She returned his tight hold. "I don't know what I'd do if you didn't." She still didn't sound settled.

_"The good and the bad and the things in between"_

"Ino..." Shikamaru tilted her chin upward to meet his gaze, "I know you were mourning his death. I was, too. We were just foolish to not let each other be close."

_"You found me"_

"Shika... maru..." He wiped a tear from her porcelain cheek with his thumb and smiled. Genuinely.

"I love you, too, you troublesome woman."

And, ever-so-slowly, he brought his lips down upon hers as the last line of the song filtered through the room, and their currently occupied minds;

_"You found me."_

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**'Kay, peoples, here are the things I really don't care to hear;**

**-_Ino was overly dramatic._ -- Yes; she was very dramatic. But when people cry, they're dramatic. If you've ever cried (especially over the death of a loved-one), then you'd know. I know what it's like, so I'm totally aloud to write it. Plus, come ON people, this is Ino Yamanaka we're talking about.**

-**_Ino doesn't love Asuma-_ Yeah. Okay. He _dies_, people. Sorry for the manga spoiler, but he does. She loved him; not that way, ew. She loves Shika that way. No, it's more like a fatherly, uncle-ly, older-brotherly type of love. I mean, come on, people! It's like Sakura and Kakashi... no, wait, don't comment on THAT, either. I know how twisted some of you are...**

**-_The characters were OOC_. -- 'Kay, peoples, this comment gets old. Let me get it through to you now; THEY ARE O-O-O-O-O-O-OLDER. THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH THEIR SENSEI'S D-E-A-T-H. INO MIGHT BE P-M-S-I-N-G. SHIKAMARU IS L-U-R-V-E.**

**_-WTF?! You mentioned Temari at the beginning, and didn't even mention her later. ...? --_ Yyyeeeaahh... I didn't particularly feel the need to make a spiel about that. It wasn't really needed, and I think that there was just the right amount of angst without her, ne?**

**_-Holy shit that was short. --_ Well, no duh. It's not like I haven't noticed that myself, genius. I wish it was longer, but we don't always get what we wish for.**

**Have I spelled everything out for you? **

**In case any of you have any _other_ problems, let me just tell you; this was my first ShikaIno fic ever. Okay? Okay.**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Naruto or You Found Me. They do indeed belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Kelly Clarkson.**

**I hope you enjoyed!**

**Actually, I liked the ending. Usually I don't, but this time, I do! Yay!**

**I love you all... but I'll _luvv_ you if you review. You'd be much better off with my _luvv_.**

**Trust me.**

**-RD**


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